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Thank you Wired George. I never thought about seeing an ENT. That is a great suggestion. For some reason, I think the air is sometimes going into my mouth instead of directly down my airway, even though I tape my mouth with one strip of medical tape and use the chin strap to keep my jaw from dropping too much.

I think the air leaking into my mouth is what is causing the noises. My mouth is a little dry when I wake up (not like with a full face mask), and my cheeks will puff out. It takes some adjusting my tongue position to make that stop. Why the "back door" to my mouth is not staying shut, I do not know.

However, my AHI is great. It is almost always under 1, and I feel so much better. The trick now is just to find a way to sleep without being woken up by those noises.

Thank you for your replies. Yes, the hole vents are not the source of the rattle. It actually is the connector tube. I've had my husband isolate the sound as well just to make sure I was identifying it correctly. And the noise was not coming from the machine. I check the filter every week, and change it regularly.

I actually have changed to a nasal mask that I like, although I'm working at present to solve some other problems with it.

Thanks again.

I use the Eason nasal mask in conjunction with a chin strap. No matter what I do I get these pig sounds in the back of my throat. I'm not sure if the problem is my soft palate or my tongue. The doctor did tell me that I have a narrow airway.

My pressure setting is 15-19 with a PR of 3; however, I was also having the problem when my pressure setting was 13-15. Full size masks don't stay sealed on my small face once the pressure reaches the max and because I open my mouth, even with a chin strap, my mouth dries out terribly (even with the highest humidity setting). This is why I have opted for the nasal mask.

I used to use the P10 nasal pillows, but started having the same problem with the pig noises after a few years of very successful use. I really like the Eason. I just need to stop the pig noises.

Is it possible to use a nasal mask in conjunction with Good Morning Snore? I'm hoping I can find something that will pull my tongue forward without causing my TMJ to worsen. I don't seem to be able to tolerate Mandibular Devices.

Thank you.

Hi Dr. Tony,

Thank you so much for your advice. I will give those things a try.

Sorry SensibleSangriaLemur,

I have not found a solution, except to use ear plugs, and I can't reach anyone from the company to seek their advice. Good luck. I hope you can solve it.

Thanks Wired George. I think I just have a small mouth, but it was worth a try.

Ha! Ha!

I tried the boil and bite mouth guard last night with my nasal mask. The problem is that the air comes out of the corners of my mouth. I thought about taping, but the mouth guards creates too big of a space between the lips to cover with tape. The corners of my mouth are open and won't close. I'll try it with the Amara View, and see if that solves it unless you have other ideas.

I'd like to stick with the Eason nasal mask because my AHI is about 5 less on average as compared to the Amara View so less pressure is needed. The respiratory therapist told me that she has seen the same thing with the Amara, but it's the only full face mask we've been able to find that will seal on my small face.

One more question: I noticed with the Eason that I do better if I let the tip of tongue fall to my lower teeth. Somehow that still keeps the back of my tongue up on the roof of my mouth somewhat without getting as much sputtering. My mouth is dry when I wake up, but my AHI is always under 2, if not 1, so the therapy is working. And my mouth is less dry than with a full face mask. Have you ever heard of anything like that?

Thanks.

I wasn't sure if there is a way to send a private message on this site, but my question is for Dr. Soileau.

I have been using the Eason nasal mask with great success for 3 weeks, but just recently started to have trouble with my tongue coming away the roof of my mouth and the back of my throat making a strange noise like it is losing suction. I also had this trouble develop suddenly after 2 years of great success with the P10 Nasal Pillow Mask.

I am not doing anything different than what I have the last few weeks that have been so successful. To make the nasal mask work, I tape my mouth shut, use a chin strap and put some hard foam behind the lower mask straps so that my cheeks don't puff out. It sounds like a lot, but it has worked wonderfully and has been comfortable.

I picked up a new chin strap just to make sure that wasn't the problem, but it didn't help. I'd really like to stick with this mask because my AHI is so good now (under 1 most nights). I have no leaks; it's comfortable; and my mouth doesn't dry out like it does with a full size mask. I'm a small person so it's hard to get a full face mask to fit me without leaking. But I can only sleep for a few hours before all that noise and the clicking feeling in my throat wake me up and then keeps me awake for the rest of the night.

But I just wondered if you have ever seen anyone who was able to use a mask for a couple of weeks but then started to have this kind of problem. I cannot figure out why it changed.

My pressure is 15-19 with a PR of 3.

I also tried a boil and bite mouth guard with the nasal mask and chin strap without success. I no longer have that but am thinking to buy another to try with the full size mask and chin strap in case that would solve the problem.

Thanks so much.

Great. Thanks Wired George. I appreciate your help.

Wired George,

I thought I had solved the problem of my mouth filling up with air by using a chin strap, tape and toenail separators to put slight pressure on my cheeks to keep them from puffing out, but I'm back to the same problem again.

I'm going to try the mouth guard again. Do you use a chin strap with your mouth guard or just the mouth guard and a mask? Also, would the mouth guard work with the nasal mask I am using (Eason)?

Thanks.